sarrobo's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: SR
Beneficiary's Name: CB
VJ Member: sarrobo
Country: Canada
Last Updated: 2022-02-07
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Immigration Checklist for SR & CB:
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USCIS DCF I-130 Petition:
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Dept of State IR-1/CR-1 Visa:
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USCIS I-751 Petition:
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USCIS N-400 Petition:
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IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
Nebraska Service Center |
| Transferred? |
No |
| Consulate : |
Montreal, Canada |
| Marriage (if applicable): |
2010-07-14 |
| I-130 Sent : |
2016-12-22 |
| I-130 NOA1 : |
2017-01-13 |
| I-130 RFE : |
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| I-130 RFE Sent : |
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| I-130 Approved : |
2017-09-25 |
| NVC Received : |
2017-10-04 |
| Received DS-261 / AOS Bill : |
2017-10-27 |
| Pay AOS Bill : |
2017-10-27 |
| Receive I-864 Package : |
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| Send AOS Package : |
2018-01-23 |
| Submit DS-261 : |
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| Receive IV Bill : |
2017-10-27 |
| Pay IV Bill : |
2017-11-03 |
| Send IV Package : |
2017-12-07 |
| Receive Instruction and Interview appointment letter : |
2018-02-14 |
| Case Completed at NVC : |
2018-02-14 |
| NVC Left : |
2018-02-14 |
| Consulate Received : |
2018-02-14 |
| Packet 3 Received : |
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| Packet 3 Sent : |
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| Packet 4 Received : |
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| Interview Date : |
2018-03-21 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
2018-04-05 |
| US Entry : |
2018-08-01 |
| Comments : |
Visa in "Administrative Processing" from 3/21/2018-4/3/2018. Visa marked as "Issued" on 4/3/2018; mailed 4/4/2018; received 4/5/2018. Total time from mailing I-130 to visa in hand: 15 months + 14 days. Crossed the border on 8/1/2018; received SSN card and Green Card on 8/11/2018. |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-130 was approved in 255 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 432 days from your I-130 NOA1 date. |
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Port of Entry Review
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| Event |
Date |
| Port of Entry : |
CDN-USA Border |
| POE Date : |
2018-08-01 |
| Got EAD Stamp : |
Yes,Passport Stamp |
| Biometrics Taken : |
No |
| Harassment Level : |
0 |
| Comments : |
Crossed at the Pembina/Emerson border crossing at the Manitoba/North Dakota border. Despite the fact that we were told all our documents would be available electronically, they still asked to see the originals - always have them with you! We were there about 45 minutes and had no issues (except Fox News blaring in the background). If anything we expected them to have more questions or to check our car, but nope! The entire thing was mostly waiting for them to process the paperwork, which was probably a little more involved since I was also re-importing my car back to the US. |
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Citizenship
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
Online |
| CIS Office : |
Albany NY |
| Date Filed : |
2021-08-02 |
| NOA Date : |
2021-08-02 |
| Bio. Appt. : |
2021-12-21 |
| Interview Date : |
2022-01-28 |
| Approved : |
Yes |
| Oath Ceremony : |
2022-02-07 |
| Comments : |
Oath ceremony originally scheduled for 2/4/2022 was rescheduled due to a snow storm.
Oath of citizenship was very quick, he was in and out in about 20 minutes total (including posing for a few photos). No guests or family members were allowed to attend due to COVID restrictions.
The entire process at the Albany office was very quick and streamlined. All appointments were under 30 minutes and the entire N-400 journey from filing the application online to oath ceremony was completed in 6 months + 5 days. |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: Montreal, Canada
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
March 23, 2018 |
| Embassy Review : |
Disclaimer: I'm writing on behalf of my husband. I attended with him as petitioner.
Our interview was March 21 at 9:00am. We flew in the day prior. We stayed at the Hotel Bonaventure at 900 de la Gauchetiere West. It is 850m, about a ~15 minute leisurely walk from the consulate. It is also a 3 minute/300m walk from the René-Lévesque / Mansfield stop on the 747 shuttle that goes directly to/from the airport. It's not the cheapest option, (~$160/night) but for one night we wanted the convenience of being close to the consulate and also convenient to the airport.
We arrived at 8:20 but didn't want to be too early, so walked around and came back at 8:30. After all the reviews, I was expecting a long line but there was no lineup either time we came to the consulate. At the door, we were given a laminated sheet with number and the documents required for the initial document review. We went through security, who held our phones and my water bottle. No issues there. We were told to go downstairs and then take the elevator to the 19th floor. When I was thinking about going to the consulate, I expected it to be somewhat "grand," like an embassy but it was nothing of the sort - very very bureaucratic and industrial. There is a vending machine (all junk) and soda machine but I recommend eating before you come ... we didn't (too nervous to eat!) and regretted it.
Small Rant Ahead: When you download the PDF for the Montreal consulate, there is a document checklist to bring to the interview. They ask to bring originals AND photocopies of a number of documents, and I assured we had all of them and checked and re-checked several times. I was ridiculously annoyed when we arrived and found that, on the laminated sheet, they wanted us to provide our original AOS application AND a photocopy. Well, on the checklist, it doesn't ask you to bring a photocopy, so I did not. I told my husband this, and had him bring up the Checklist when he went up and told him to tell them this. He did, and there wasn't an issue. I was annoyed though, hence this little rant. If there's a document checklist - put everything on there! It's already nerve wracking enough, why do this?? I can't stand that they're so particular about everything but can't be organized enough to communicate what they want. ANYWAY. If you filed an AOS or have joint sponsors/household members... bring photocopies.
That aside. My husband was called to a window to do his document review and fingerprinting at about 9:05. That took about 10 minutes and despite not having the one of the required photocopies (they just took the originals, and I had scans saved at home). He said there were no surprises and the woman was very nice. He found the fingerprinting process a bit awkward (he has arthritis in his hands), but he said they were very kind and accommodating. Funnily enough, they didn't even ASK for any of the photocopies that were on the document checklist (again...why??).
After the document review, he returned to the waiting area where we sat. From other reviews I expected it to be very busy but I didn't find it to be so. One side of the room seemed to be for immigration visas, and the other seemed to be for other passport/immigration issues. So on our side of the room, there were probably only about 5 people. The wait was a bit nerve wracking, and the loudspeaker, through which they call your name/number, is actually a bit hard to hear as it's garbled. Just an FYI.
At a few minutes before 10:00, he was called back to an interview room. I thought I would try to go, if possible, and the lady was very kind but said I would have to stay in the waiting room. No big deal - I was just curious to listen if I could! So out I went to sit nervously and wait!
We were particularly nervous because our case involved proving intent to re-domicile in the US. We both currently live in Canada and were planning on moving together if possible. I knew others had had issues with this in the past so I was conscious of providing as much proof as I could. As the primary breadwinner, I was very conscious of the potential financial hardship that would be caused if they required me to move to the US first. Anyway - if you'd like any info on what I provided them when preparing my AOS regarding intent to re-domicile, feel free to send me a message.
My husband said the interviewer was very kind and interested in everything he had to say. Some things they talked about:
-How we met - and he said she wanted to hear our whole, detailed story
-If he'd ever had trouble with the law or been arrested/convicted anywhere in the world (no)
-If he planned to keep his job after the move (no)
-Where he'll be living (specific address)
-Information on our joint sponsor, who she was (my mother), where she lived, and her household member (my step-father) etc.
-If he'd traveled outside of North America in the last five years (no)
-When he last used marijuana (over 5 years ago, which he disclosed during his medical)
After that, she said congratulations, your visa has been approved, and wished him best of luck in the United States. Since there were so few people there, I could actually hear most of the interview and I heard him say, "Oh wow! Thank you so much!" so I knew were good! haha. We were out of the building by 10:15am! I could hardly believe how fast and quick the process was, and how little trouble we had. It was a bit of a trip to have to spend so much money and time for a 1-hour meeting! At any rate, we couldn't be more grateful for that portion of the process to be over. We plan to move at the end of July/early August when our lease is up in Canada. |
| Rating : |
Very Good |
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Timeline Comments: None yet, be the first!
*Notice about estimates: The estimates are based off averages of other members recent experiences
(documented in their timelines) for the same benefit/petition/application at the same filing location.
Individual results may vary as every case is not always 'average'. Past performance does not necessarily
predict future results. The 'as early as date' may change over time based on current reported processing
times from members. There have historically been cases where a benefit/petition/application processing
briefly slows down or stops and this can not be predicted. Use these dates as reference only and do not
rely on them for planning. As always you should check the
USCIS processing times to see if your application
is past due.
** Not all cases are transfered
ver 5.0
